Staff%20Report Archive

Mike Papi blasted a three run home run over the wall in right field wall as the Captains went on to beat Fort Wayne 10-5. Papi’s homer capped a four run top of the third inning. The Captains hit three home runs on the night. Lake County and Fort Wayne will play a rubber game on Sunday.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers have been looking for a game where all three phases of the game, hitting, pitching and fielding, all come together on the same night for a few weeks. On Saturday night they got the game they were looking for. The Scrappers banged out 7 hits while the pitching staff did not walk a single batter in a 5-1 win over the Williamsport Crosscutters.

The idea in baseball is to peak at the end of the season, and play your bestbaseball down the stretch and into the playoffs. The Akron RubberDucks are following that formula to a tee. On Friday, Akron shortstop Jaime Pedroza continued to turn heads in his new organization by going 3-for-5, with a homer and four RBI as the RubberDucks outlasted the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 9-7, at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium towin their fifth consecutive game.

Fernando Perez lined a double to the gap in left field and Ronnie Richardson scored from first base as the TinCaps beat the Captains 5-4 on Friday Night. The double occurred in the eighth inning and was Perez’s 14th RBI against the Captains this season.

For the third straight night the Mahoning Valley Scrappers struggled to hit with runners in scoring position. For the third straight night the Scrappers pitchers struggled to get off the field with two outs. The combination for the third straight night proved to be too much as the Scrappers fell at home 4-1 to the Williamsport Crosscutters.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers gave up six runs in the third inning on their way to an 8-2 loss against the State College Spikes. The Scrappers managed nine hits in the game, but couldn't find the scoring touch as the State College pitching staff held strong. Juan Santana took the loss for Mahoning Valley after giving up seven runs in just three innings of work.

The Lake County Captains used a two-run seventh inning to beat the Dayton Dragons, 4-3, in come-from-behind fashion. Lake County benefited from eight hits by seven different players while the pitching staff held the Dragons to four base knocks. After a Justin Brantley blown save, Wander Beras picked up the win and Trevor Frank finished his 13th save of the season.

After Wednesday's game was postponed, the Akron RubberDucks came out in a stalemate with Portland, until a final-inning breakthrough. Akron ended up scoring in in the seventh inning of a shortened, seven-inning game to start the day with a 1-0 win. The RubberDucks followed up with a 4-2 win in the nightcap.

The Cleveland Indians today awarded the trade waiver claim of right-handed pitcher John Axford to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Axford’s contract has now been assigned to Pittsburgh's Major League roster and they are responsible for the remaining $1.1 million approximately left on his contract.

The Captains won the suspended game from Tuesday Night by a final of 9-8, but lost the regularly scheduled ballgame 6-0. The Captains won on a walk-off error in the early game, the 11thwalk-off of the season for the Captains. Dayton’s Amir Garrett pitched a gem in the late game shutting out the Captains on just three hits. The Captains are at the .500 mark at 25-25 in the second half.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers fell behind early in Wednesday night in State College in large part to some shaky defense. The Scrappers were able to bounce back and rally, getting the tying run on base in the 9th inning, but ultimately ended up falling 5-4 to the State College Spikes.

The Akron RubberDucks fell into a 4-1 deficit in the sixth inning, but piled on four runs in the final two frames to beat the Portland Sea Dogs, 5-4. Both teams combined for 11 hits in the game, but it was Akron that picked up the key hits when it mattered most. Shawn Armstrong picked up the win while Elvis Araujo was credited with his third save of the season.

The Mahoning Valley Scrappers and State College Spikes were each scoreless through innings, but the Scrappers amped up their offense to win 5-0. Bradley Zimmer led the way with three hits and two RBIs, including his 10th double of the year. David Speer picked up the win after going four innings in relief and giving up just five hits and no runs while striking out four.

Ivan Castillo had four hits, two home runs, scored three runs and knocked in three as the Captains beat the TinCaps 12-6 on Sunday. Castillo’s second homer capped a three run top of the ninth inning. The Captains won three of the four contests played against Fort Wayne this weekend.

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats have featured one of the most effective pitching staffs in the league this season. On Saturday night, the Blue Jays affiliate welcomed newly acquired Mike Lee to the fold, and the veteran right-hander fit right in.

Mother Nature brought a hault to the Carolina Mudcats' middle game with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in the 11th inning on Saturday night. The teams were stalemated at 2-2 when persistent rains forced the suspension.

Four Akron pitchers, led by starter Cody Anderson, combined on a three-hitter Friday night, as the RubberDucks won their fifth consecutive game with a 3-1 victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in the opener of a three-game series at Canal Park.

Sometimes a team runs into a hot pitcher and there is nothing that can they can do. That was the case on Thursday night at Eastwood Field as the Mahoning Valley Scrappers were held to just two hits as the fell 4-0 to the Brooklyn Cyclones. The Scrappers, who entered the game average eight hits a game over their past ten, were limited to just two singles.

The Lake County Captains totaled 19 hits, but still lost to the Fort Wayne TinCaps in the bottom of the 10th after giving up four runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings. The top two Lake County hitters, Ivan Castillo and Clint Frazier, each had four hits and two RBIs in the loss. The Captains' bullpen combined to give up eight hits and nine runs in just 3.1 innings of relief.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!